as in thrashing
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1
as in abusing
to abuse physically
demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police
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2
as in licking
to strike repeatedly
the irate store owner was mauling the shoplifter when the police showed up
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Recent Examples of mauling
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 July 2026
The dogs involved in the mauling were later euthanized.
—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
Fox orchestrated the mauling of Minnesota, dancing around defenders and into the lane at will.
—
Marcus Thompson Ii,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Those still with the team may want to exact revenge after last December’s 45-21 mauling at the hands of quarterback Joe Burrow.
—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
The area remains closed as authorities continue to investigate the apparent mauling.
—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Seth Michael Plant, 30, died after a bear mauling that occurred during training, according to a Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson news release.
—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
These were claps of relief and encouragement from a European audience bracing for a mauling like JD Vance’s onslaught last year.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
Fresh from his online mauling at the hands of Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary, the world’s richest man can take some consolation.
—
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
1 Feb. 2026
Amber Harding Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Chris Brown was seated at the defense table in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, poised to testify at his dog-mauling trial, when the judge declared a mistrial due to juror misconduct.
—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
Throw in the signing of dual threat quarterback Malik Willis with the drafting of mauling offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor as well as Will Kacmarek, arguably the best blocking tight end of the 2026 class, and all signs point to the Dolphins having an elite rushing attack for quite some time.
—
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
Or left tackle Theo Benedet pulling into the open field in Cincinnati, sprinting well beyond the line of scrimmage, starting his block on Geno Stone 4 yards from the sideline, then mauling the Bengals safety within inches of a bench.
—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
City enters Week 2 of the new campaign as Premier League leader after mauling its way to a 4-0 win over Wolves on opening weekend.
—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
Avila’s sister, Patricia Avila, who was also on the job when the mauling took place, was awarded $885,000 for emotional distress, and Maria Avila’s husband, Oscar Olivo, was separately awarded $50,000.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
1 July 2026
The dogs involved in the mauling were later euthanized.
—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
Fox orchestrated the mauling of Minnesota, dancing around defenders and into the lane at will.
—
Marcus Thompson Ii,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Those still with the team may want to exact revenge after last December’s 45-21 mauling at the hands of quarterback Joe Burrow.
—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
The area remains closed as authorities continue to investigate the apparent mauling.
—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Seth Michael Plant, 30, died after a bear mauling that occurred during training, according to a Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson news release.
—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
These were claps of relief and encouragement from a European audience bracing for a mauling like JD Vance’s onslaught last year.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
Fresh from his online mauling at the hands of Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary, the world’s richest man can take some consolation.
—
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
Another hiker survived a grizzly mauling on the popular Grinnell Glacier Trail just weeks later.
—
Amber Harding Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
Chris Brown was seated at the defense table in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, poised to testify at his dog-mauling trial, when the judge declared a mistrial due to juror misconduct.
—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
Throw in the signing of dual threat quarterback Malik Willis with the drafting of mauling offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor as well as Will Kacmarek, arguably the best blocking tight end of the 2026 class, and all signs point to the Dolphins having an elite rushing attack for quite some time.
—
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
Or left tackle Theo Benedet pulling into the open field in Cincinnati, sprinting well beyond the line of scrimmage, starting his block on Geno Stone 4 yards from the sideline, then mauling the Bengals safety within inches of a bench.
—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
City enters Week 2 of the new campaign as Premier League leader after mauling its way to a 4-0 win over Wolves on opening weekend.
—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mauling
Noun
-
The Blågult had started so well, mind you, with a 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia.
-
Jonathan David had a hat trick in last Thursday’s 6-0 thrashing of Qatar.
Verb
-
Witt claimed that Golubski — who in 2024 faced trial for allegations including terrorizing and abusing Black women in KCK for decades before killing himself the day it was scheduled to begin — also abused her late cousin, Elaine Greene.
-
The parents are also accused of abusing their 5-year-old daughter, who is also morbidly overweight, according to the complaint.
Verb
-
But the Carolinas have their own ways of making barbecue finger-licking.
-
France’s Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, who each already have four goals in the tournament, will be licking their lips.
Noun
-
The British Army also provided protection from attacks by Native American tribes, giving many settlers little reason to support a rebellion.
-
Twice in recent days, the United States has launched retaliatory strikes on Iran following drone attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Verb
-
Electing to keep his No 5 on the field, the Brazil head coach made a subtle tactical tweak that saw Endrick enter the action and brought Matheus Cunha further to the left flank — which unlocked the attacking prowess of Vinicius Junior.
-
In patients with type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Verb
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America is better when Paul Skenes is embarrassing hitters with Livvy in the stands pounding Miller Lites.
-
The heart-pounding encounter ended with the calf reunited with its mother, dramatic photos on a cellphone — and the couple continuing on to catch brook trout.
Noun
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Indeed, the administration’s assault on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act intensifies the damage.
-
Williams had an extraditable warrant out of Suffolk County, New York, on multiple charges including burglary, strangulation and assault.
Verb
-
But this year’s edition could be the best one yet, and the Wolverines will get a chance to prove that next week in Indianapolis after manhandling Tennessee 95-62 yesterday at the United Center to clinch a spot in the Final Four.
-
The Illini literally soaked in the celebration Thursday night after manhandling hometown favorite Houston to advance to the Elite 8 for the second time in three years.
Cite this Entry
“Mauling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mauling. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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